A Modern House That's Warm and Rustic

Modern is organic in the Pacific Northwest.

Designer Markham Roberts decorated a house in the Pacific Northwest with its lush surroundings in mind. "When there's an incredible view everywhere you look, you want to work with nature, not compete with it," he says.

Cool evenings make fires a must, even in summer. "There's a camping-out feel that's very attractive," Roberts says. At rafter height, galvanized-steel light fixtures with botanical cutouts, designed by the original architect James Cutler, cast a gentle glow on Douglas fir timbers. The custom corner table holds an antique vintner's bottle lamp from James Sansum Fine and Decorative Art — also the source for the African drum between the chairs — while a Cedric Hartman swing-arm lamp hits a classic modern note. Chaise, B&B Italia.

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Kitchen

Madrona tree-trunk columns bring the forest outside into the kitchen. The lower kitchen cabinets continue the warm spirit of wood. A larger version of the living room's galvanized lights hangs above a honed-granite counter and a Dacor oven. Stove top by Thermador.

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Dining Area

While making the most of expansive vistas that surround the house, the ground floor's open plan encourages easy movement and communication from space to space. A white laminate-top Knoll table, Eero Saarinen's 1958 modernist update of traditional pedestal designs, anchors the dining area. Here, though, instead of ringing the table with look-alike Saarinen Tulip chairs, the owners brought in neoclassical-inspired caned wood chairs by Thos. Moser. An African necklace and Indian oil lamps are displayed on a custom sideboard.

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Master Bedroom

For an air of calm seclusion, "almost everything in the master bedroom is hushed," Roberts explains. He hung an antique Persian camel saddlebag above an Edelman suede bolster at the head of the built-in platform bed. An antique textile from Jordan acts as a coverlet.

Roberts splashed the poolhouse interior with blues that reflect the shades of water and bluestone paving. With wet bathing suits in mind, he used only outdoor fabrics. Perennials' Chenille Number 5 covers the Crate & Barrel sectional, which has pillows in R. P. Miller's Le Witt Loom, Lee Jofa's Castille, and Perennials' Hello, Sailor! One of two custom batik-upholstered folding screens creates a backdrop for a Hollywood at Home rattan chair and a George Nakashima wood-frame armchair. The antique coffee table, from James Sansum Fine and Decorative Art, is centered on a Pottery Barn abaca rug.

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Footbridge

Visitors cross a footbridge over a ravine before climbing to the breezeway-entry for a first glimpse of the sea.

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Exterior

The house overlooks the Strait of Juan de Fuca, northwest of Seattle, from a lush ledge on the Olympic Peninsula. Respect for natural beauty and ecological balance is the hallmark of architect James Cutler, who designed the house. Its cedar shingles look right at home amid majestic Douglas fir, madrona, and cedar trees. That arcadian spirit also informed Roberts's interior decoration.

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